


the caffeine in our veins

by reiwai



Series: cream and sugar (and the bitter aftertaste) [1]
Category: DKB (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Dongil best wingman i think, Fluff, Heechan Dongil and E-Chan as university students, M/M, Mild Language, PG-15 i guess, Romance, Slow Burn, Youtuber Kim Gwanghyun | GK, actually not really, also yes folks you can get drunk on coffee, cafe!AU, he just likes to mess with Heechan, we all know the dakcument that started this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reiwai/pseuds/reiwai
Summary: Exhausted dance major Heechan has trouble sleeping ever since the semester started. One night, he stumbles upon a café vlog ASMR video on YouTube and finds that the soft lo-fi music in the background, coupled with the café owner’s honey deep voice and the tinkle and swish of water against glass is what lulls him to sleep.And he can’t get enough of it.
Relationships: Kim Gwanghyun | GK/Yang Heechan
Series: cream and sugar (and the bitter aftertaste) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734883
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	the caffeine in our veins

The setting tonight was like any other night. The barista started his video by greeting his subscribers and introduced his new menu idea for his café. He had a deep but pleasantly smooth voice as he spoke, gesturing to his ingredients and the small kitchenette in his filming space.

“For tonight’s menu brainstorming, I wanted to introduce a drink that will surely make you come back for more,” he said as he organized the ingredients. He let out a soft, breathy chuckle at his tagline.

Heechan let out a sigh. He was lying on his side on the couch of his shared apartment, pillows propped up beneath his head and his blanket draped over his body for maximum comfort. The lights were dim except for the doorway. He has his earphones plugged in and his laptop sits on the small coffee table, the screen casting a sleepy, luminescent glow that surrounds him.

He listened as the barista poured the newly bought coffee beans into the espresso machine. The sound of the beans as it flowed smoothly into the machine was heavenly, like white noise.

“This new drink has a fruity flavour to it, almost as if you’re in the tropics” the man was saying. As the espresso machine hummed in the background, the man took out a bowl of frozen blueberries and sugar.

Heechan watched as the barista’s hands work on reducing the blueberry over boiling water. His hands were always delicate when handling coffee; gentle even when there were countless orders during his weekly vlogs. Heechan felt a sense of love and longing to be able to see the face of such soft, hardworking hands.

The videos were always shot at angles that best capture the process of preparing coffee as well as close range audio for the ASMR effect. It was very rare to show an open view with the man’s face in the video, much to Heechan’s chagrin.

Heechan felt his eyelids getting heavier as the video progressed. The soft lo-fi background music, coupled with the man’s deep voice idled his mind. He could feel himself floating; head light and starting to quiet down. He snuggled deeper into his blanket, ready for sleep to take him.

He was so relaxed, so deeply engrossed in the background noise the video provided, that he did not realize his left earplug was taken out, and somebody was leaning dangerously close to his ear—

“Hey, what’re you watching?”

“Fuck me, Jesus _fucking_ Christ!” Heechan jolted awake almost instantly at the sudden voice of an intruder. He got up so violently that he rolled over the couch; falling over the wire of his earphones and ultimately bringing his laptop crashing down on him.

As he recoiled, he heard the devious laughter that belonged to no one other than his roommate, Dongil. He groaned as he tried to sit up but failed. He was too tangled in wires and blankets.

“Oh my _god_ ,” Dongil wheezed, “’ Fuck me, Jesus fucking Christ’? That’s the best one _yet_!”

“Dongil, what the actual _fuck_ ,” Heechan angrily tousled the blankets to disentangle himself. “Don’t do that! I could have died.”

His roommate wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye and shook his head, “You’re wide open here. How could I resist?”

“Screw you,” Heechan muttered and rolled his eyes. He picked up his stuff and walked towards his room. His heart still thumping wildly at having been rudely woken up.

_Great, now I’m wide awake._

Heechan grumbled as he arranged his things before coming back out to their tiny kitchen to get a glass of water. Dongil had bought takeout tteokbokki for his late night dinner. He took a box out and left the other one in the plastic bag.

“Changmin’s not back yet?” Heechan asked, guessing that the second box was for their third roommate.

“Nah, he says he’s still got stuff to do in the student rep room,” Dongil replied as he opened the cabinets to look for a plate.

Silence befell them as Heechan sipped his drink pensively while Dongil transferred tteokbokki into a plate, the smell penetrating every crevice of the small apartment.

“Hey, can I—”

“ _Nope_.”

Heechan threw his hands up, exasperated. “Hyung, come on! You’re the reason I’m wide awake now. I was about to fall asleep!”

Dongil scoffed, “Hey man, too bad. You should’ve answered the phone when I called to ask if you wanted anything. Instead, I come home to see you dozing off on the couch watching some YouTuber making coffee.”

“That ‘YouTuber’ is the reason why I can sleep at night nowadays,” Heechan groaned.

None of his roommates knew about this. Although, they do know that Heechan had trouble sleeping; the whole day spent learning choreographies and practicing dance moves at the university gym would surely tire anyone out by the end of the day. However, that wasn’t the case for the 3rd year Dance student. No matter how hard he tried to calm his mind at night, the intense adrenaline in his veins would keep him up. There were occasions when he had to resort to fully tiring himself out by dancing and slept in the university’s 24-hour gym.

But then he stumbled upon **G** **KAFÉ** on YouTube and he instantly found comfort in the rhythmic process of preparing different types of drinks as well as the calming voice of the person in front of the camera. Even though **GKAFÉ** has never shown his face, Heechan couldn’t help but be enamoured.

“Huh, I never pegged you as an ASMR fan,” Dongil said, mouth already munching on his food. “What’s so special about him? Maybe I can check out his channel too.”

Heechan blushed at this. He didn’t mean to blush, but he could feel the hotness in his cheeks steadily rise at the thought of answering Dongil’s question. He tried to string a nonchalant reply, but his mouth. He couldn’t stop his mouth. The words were already flowing.

“I fell in love with his voice.”

An abrupt silence filled the air. Dongil, who had been scrolling on his phone, stopped and looked up at a very red Heechan. And just like that, the floodgates were opened. There was no turning back. Heechan spluttered at his words, realizing the weight it carried. His eyes darted anywhere and everywhere but Dongil’s inquisitive orbs.

“ _Arghh!_ Why did I say that?” he raked his hair, ruffling it in frustration and embarrassment. The boy sat down beside the elder and buried his face in his arms. His face was so hot.

After a moment, he heard Dongil respond with a “ _Wow_ ” and felt a nudge on his shoulder. Heechan lifted his head, his messy hair obscuring his vision but the smell of the spicy rice cakes in front of him told him all he needed to know. He heaved a sigh and opened his mouth, letting Dongil feed him tteokbokki.

Heechan sniffled pathetically, “He has this deep, baritone voice that’s so smooth it literally calms me enough to sleep. I’ve been watching his videos since last month and I don’t know what to do with myself, hyung.”

“Well, if you gave me the name of his channel I may be able to help your lovelorn ass,” Dongil scoffed, feeding Heechan the last pieces of tteokbokki. The elder does have his affectionate moments for his younger roommate, and Heechan’s thankful it’s at times like these that Dongil does not mock him for his love towards a person he has never met before.

“It’s **G** **KAFÉ** ; with a ‘k’ instead of ‘c’.”

“Huh. It feels like I’ve heard of that name before…” Dongil mused as he typed on his phone. Then, instead of searching for it on YouTube, he switched to Instagram. “A few weeks ago some of my female classmates were raving about this one café in Itaewon-dong. Let me see if I can find her post.”

Heechan craned his neck to look at the elder’s screen as he searched his classmate’s Instagram. Sure enough, he stopped at a photo of two girls having their picture taken in front of a café door.

The caption read ‘ _Ah, today was wonderful! Finally got to try the infamous GKAFÉ’s Americano. He is as charismatic as his videos…_ ’

“Oh my god, hyung!” Heechan couldn’t contain his excitement. He grabbed Dongil’s arm and started shaking him. “You know people who’ve been to his café?”

Before Dongil could reply, Heechan snatched the elder’s phone and swiped through the post. There were 4 photos but none of them with the café owner in the frame. He frowned, disappointment painted across his face as he gave the phone back to its owner.

“How come they don’t have a single picture with **G** **KAFÉ**?” Heechan pouted, now slumped over the table with his chin resting on the cool surface. “I would totally try to get a selca with him”

“Dude, he probably declined or something, or he has rules about it, I don’t know,” Dongil said, shaking his head at the younger’s antics. “He just runs a café and makes, and I quote, the ‘ _meanest Americano in Seoul_ ’.”

Heechan could only groan in response. He had wished to put a face to the voice he loved so much. It’s easier to love someone when they have a face to remember by. All those nights spent with his voice as company; not a moment went by that Heechan didn’t secretly wish he could finally see the person’s features. But even after an extensive search on Naver and every SNS he could think of, he still couldn’t find out who **G** **KAFÉ** was. His privacy was very well guarded from the eyes of the public.

But it wasn’t that Heechan wanted to know every single detail about the man. He simply wanted to know what he looked like, so he could close his eyes and finally envision a real person speaking to him through the screen instead of a disembodied voice.

As the boy moped on the table, Dongil was busy texting someone. Neither spoke until Dongil piped up, “Okay, Changmin says he’s in.”

“What?”

“We’re all going to _Dark Ice Café_ tomorrow.”

\---

The subway was bustling with activity, even though it was on a mid-morning Thursday. Business men and salarymen walked with swift steps to and fro, never missing a beat or stopping for anything. Plainclothes school children playing pokey were snickering and playing with each other on the platforms with their school uniforms stuffed haphazardly into their bags. University students like them were glued to their phones or have their ears plugged to cancel out the hustle and bustle of the underground subway. It was indeed a normal day in Seoul.

During the train ride to Itaewon, Heechan wouldn’t stop fidgeting in his seat while Dongil and Changmin were busy chattering with one another. After the impromptu announcement Dongil made last night, it was a wonder Heechan could fall asleep at all. His heart wouldn’t cease its stampeding rhythm; it pounded in his chest as he lay wide awake on his bed, afraid when morning would arrive. His mind was a chaotic whirl of thoughts and scenarios, but slowly and surely, he felt his eyelids close shut and the next thing he knew, sunlight was peeking through his blinds.

_This was the day._

Changmin on the other hand had been incredibly ecstatic to take a break from student council work and to just relax in a café. The Music Production senior was rarely seen outside of the council room; only going to class and then back home to shower when the need arises. The rest of his days would stretch until the late hours of the night working on campaigns, university club events and PR duties.

Sometimes both Heechan and Dongil had to drag the elder out of the room themselves, or they would crash for the night in the council break room. Seeing Changmin finally outside and hanging out with them again reminded Heechan of his sophomore year when they just met and became instant friends.

As the intercom chimed and announced Itaewon Station, Heechan gulped nervously before getting up and following his friends out of the train. Dongil was their self-appointed navigator. He already had his Waze on and was leading the way to the café.

As they wove through crowds of people, the path that led them to the café slowly diverted from the streets and up onto a steady hill. The path was quieter and had less people milling about. Even at the foot of the hill, they passed by a number of cafés that were most probably well-known amongst Itaewon-dong’s residents. Through the windows of those cafés, Heechan could see a number of patrons having their brunch— the smell of the freshly baked goods was enough to make his stomach grumble.

Dongil’s Waze suddenly chimed that they have reached their destination. “It’s on the second floor here,” he pointed to their right.

There was a prop store on the first level, selling cute stickers and notebooks that were all the rage amongst girls. On the doorway that led to the stairs was a prop sign that read “ _Dark Ice Café Lvl 2_ ”. Heechan looked up at the two-storey building and saw huge windows that let in generous amounts of sunlight into the café. There were patrons seated near the windows, enjoying their coffee and chattering mutely. Above the café, there was another floor but it looked too small to be another seating area. The dark curtains were drawn.

“Hey, don’t tell me you’re gonna chicken out now?” Heechan heard Dongil calling him and he shook his head, feeling embarrassment creeping onto his face.

“Hyung, shut up,” he hissed as he caught up with the elder who only snickered as a response. Changmin was already ascending the stairs, oblivious to the duo’s banter.

At the top of the stairs, the café door was open; a welcoming gesture. Soft lo-fi jazz can be heard playing in the background, accompanied by the patron’s voices and the tinkling of glass and cutlery. The aroma of coffee invaded Heechan’s senses. It was intoxicating.

They were greeted by a young server with blonde hair and a blinding smile upon entering. “Hello, welcome to _Dark Ice_! You may take your order and pay at the counter and we will send it to your table soon.”

He had a slight accent to his voice but Heechan couldn’t quite distinguish what it was. All he could think about was how cute the boy was as he bowed awkwardly to him, his mind unable to process how he was seeing literal sunshine right in front of him.

The boy ushered them to the counter and bowed before taking his leave to attend to the other patrons. As Heechan stared at the blackboard menu on top of the counter, written neatly in chalk with various little doodles drawn around each drink, he did not realize a man had stepped out from behind the huge espresso machine and was smiling at his new customers.

“Good morning, and welcome to _Dark Ice_. How may I help you today?” he greeted, and the moment his raspy, deep voice penetrated Heechan’s mind, the boy froze.

His eyes slowly tore away from the menu above and landed on a young man not much older than he was, smiling politely at the trio who just stepped into the café. The man— no, **G** **KAFÉ** — was standing behind the counter with an apron and white undershirt and was already talking with Changmin, who was asking something about the bread they serve there.

Heechan honestly could not concentrate on the current events around him. Changmin and Dongil’s voices were drowned out; the café ambience and sound reduced to nothing but a murmur. All Heechan could hear was the good-looking café owner speaking, with his fading orange hair and handsome smile as he catered to his friends’ queries.

His voice. That was him. The voice Heechan fell in love with.

He didn’t realize he was staring openly at the ginger-haired café owner until he saw the latter’s eyes shift to him; and they stayed on him. Heechan blinked dumbly, all the while never snapping out of his trance. **G** **KAFÉ** ’s smile was warm, but slowly the corners of his lips tugged downwards. A mixture of concern and amusement flash across his face. The man pouted— Heechan’s heart performed a backflip at the way those lips looked— and was saying something, but his voice became one with the drumming of Heechan’s blood rush. His face suddenly felt hot.

“…you okay? Sir?” **G** **KAFÉ** was saying, brow furrowed at Heechan who still hasn’t moved from his spot behind his two friends. “Have you decided on what to order?”

It wasn’t until Dongil slapped Heechan squarely in the back for the boy to awaken to reality, albeit rudely. Heechan coughed at the sudden impact, doubled over. He felt Dongil forcefully pull him close, their shoulders bruising into one another’s.

“Real sorry about my friend here. He doesn’t know his coffee so he’s having a hard time choosing,” Dongil said, barking out a laugh to clear the tension that Heechan created.

“Oh, that’s quite alright,” **G** **KAFÉ** chuckled, his shoulders relaxing and his smile was back on his lips. “I can help recommend you one. Do you like it strong or sweet?”

Heechan’s mouth was like a fish; opening and closing but nothing coherent was coming out. He couldn’t think straight with the way **G** **KAFÉ** ’s attention was on him. When he felt a squeeze on his shoulder where Dongil still had his hand wrapped around, he blurted out, “U-um, sweet?”

“Excellent choice,” **G** **KAFÉ** beamed as he tapped on the iPad that acted as the cash register system. “Our iced vanilla latte is great for weathers like today. Will that be all?”

“Yeah, that’s all from us!” Dongil quickly piped in before Heechan could embarrass himself any further; not that that hasn’t already been done. Spectacularly at that, too.

Changmin offered to pay first. They then took a number and went to sit at the far corner of the café, with Heechan being escorted by Dongil. Heechan sat with a heavy sigh. He didn’t know he was holding his breath the entire time.

“Okay what was that all about?” Changmin asked, his face concerned and in some way, amused at the way Heechan had been acting the moment they stepped into the café.

Before Heechan could come up with an explanation, Dongil interjected, “Heechan has a crush on that guy.”

“Hyung, _shut_ _up_!” Heechan almost choked on his spit, his cheeks burning a crimson red for fear that anyone might have heard them. He took a quick glance around them. The other customers didn’t seem to have heard anything as they continued to chatter idly. He stole a cautionary glance towards the counter, where he saw **G** **KAFÉ** preparing their drinks in front of the camera.

“Huh. Have you met him before?” Changmin was asking. He was also stealing a glance towards the counter, curious if he had seen the man around campus or anywhere else.

“Nah, that dude’s a Youtuber. Heechannie has been his loyal fan because he helps him sleep at night.”

If his head could explode from the sheer amount of embarrassment, now would have been a good time. “ _Hyung_ , I swear to God, _shut up_!” Heechan groaned and buried his heated face into his hands.

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been getting enough sleep lately!” Changmin put two and two together. “What are his videos about? Are they really calming?”

“Just some ASMR café vlog. You see how he does his drinks? There’s a camera there that’s filming how he does it…” Dongil explained and pointed openly towards the bar, showing Changmin what he meant.

Heechan wanted to hide; anywhere than being seen together with his two roommates, who were publicly gawking at the café counter and pointing to this and that. He slumped lower into his seat and pulled up his hoodie for fear the attractive café owner would look their way. As the two chattered away, clearly disregarding being discrete in the slightest, Heechan stole a peek from the side of his hood.

The man, with pale ginger hair was done preparing their drinks. He was talking to one of his co-workers, his smile and laugh the most beautiful thing Heechan has ever witnessed. The co-worker handed him a drink he had been preparing and **G** **KAFÉ** placed it together with the other orders on a tray.

“Yuku!” he called to the blonde server, his voice filled with fondness as the boy came up to the counter to collect the order for Heechan’s table. They talked a little, no doubt exchanging inside jokes before he ruffled the young boy’s hair and sent him on his way.

Heechan would be lying if he didn’t feel a strange pang in his chest at that sight. He sat up straight in his chair and pretended to be busy on his phone as the server came to up to their table with a tray of their orders: 2 iced Americanos, 1 iced vanilla latte and 2 buttercream pastries.

“Wow, these look so good,” Changmin mused. He picked up his drink, swirled the straw to mix the contents and sipped.

“Oh, wow this is _really good_.”

“Yep, his Americano is no joke,” Dongil added, sipping and revelling in the strong caffeine flavour of the drink.

“And this bread!” Changmin mused aloud, mouth full of sweet, crumbly pastry. “Man, it’s good to be out again with you guys. You always bring me to the best places!”

Heechan smiled at that. It was true that the three of them rarely went out to relax at places like these after the new semester started. Changmin had been busy with council and university activities; Dongil with his song composition projects and club activities, and Heechan with his final dance project all crammed into one semester. It was a wonder they could find the time today to go out and forget about university for a while.

“It’s all Heechannie. If he hadn’t blurted out about how much he loves that **G** **KAFÉ** guy we wouldn’t be here, hyung,” Dongil said nonchalantly as he sipped his coffee.

“Why can’t you just shut up, hyung,” Heechan whined, defeated. At this rate he knew any effort to tell Dongil to keep quiet was futile. His roommate really loves running his mouth.

“Hey, whatever happened to Mr. I’d-totally-take-a-selca-with-him?” Dongil retorted, causing Heechan’s cheeks to flare red again.

“W-well he seems really busy… I don’t want to distract him,” Heechan stuttered.

“Dongil, stop teasing him. At least we’re here and you get to see him, right?” Changmin said, his fork reaching out to the leftover pastry that the three of them shared.

“Y-yeah.”

Heechan stole furtive, longing glances towards the counter. He wished he could have a proper conversation with the café owner without stumbling over his own words or freezing in his spot. He’d been dreaming of this day ever since he found himself enamoured by his voice. There were so many things he wanted to say to **G** **KAFÉ** , like expressing his admiration over the man’s videos and the passion he has for coffee. He wanted to ask how the man realized his dream to become a café owner in a big city like Seoul, and how he managed the café after seeing how young he was.

But most of all, he wanted to thank the man for his videos that became his sleeping drug (that was too weird and embarrassing; he decided to scratch that off his list).

Well, those were ‘ _if only_ ’ scenarios. Heechan sighed internally as he continued drinking his latte and finishing up what was left of the sweet dish they had ordered. Changmin told them he needed to be back on campus by 2pm, so they decided to make a move then.

As they walked past the counter, **G** **KAFÉ** bowed to them, “Thank you for visiting. We hope you can stop by again soon!”

“Thanks, we sure will!” Dongil waved at the man while Heechan could only offer a smile he hoped was not an awkward one.

“Oh, hey, take these if any of you are interested,” the man gestured to the basket on the counter. Heechan took one and saw that it was a workshop of some kind; a session with **G** **KAFÉ** on making drip coffee.

“Some of my subscribers proposed this idea, so I thought why not give it a try,” **G** **KAFÉ** explained, his hand rubbing the nape of his neck, sheepish. “If any of you are interested in making your own drip coffee at home, I can give you a few pointers. Since it’s something relatively new to me, this workshop is free for the first session.”

“Hey, this is interesting,” Changmin quipped, “We’ll see if we can make it. Thanks!”

“Anytime. Thanks again for visiting _Dark Ice_. Come again!”

The trio bowed to the café owner one last time before taking their leave. Once outside, Heechan looked down at the flyer he had been clutching on to as if his life depended on it. _A session with **G**_ ** _KAFÉ_** , he thought.

For reasons unknown to him, and without him realizing, Heechan had a slight spring to his step and a happy smile on his lips as they walked back to the subway station.

\---

As the sun started to set, the activity in the café dwindled down as well. Most of the customers had left, or were finishing up their drink and were packing their belongings. At this time, his regular working customers would drop by to grab the last of his bread and pastries to bring home. The pantry was nearly empty, and the last customer managed to grab the last of the butter loaves. He bowed and waved them goodbye before heaving a relieved sigh and stretched.

Today had been a good day. He looked around his café, at the serenity it exuded during twilight hour and he felt himself smile at the thought of a good day’s work. He helped Yuku arrange the chairs while the boy went to fetch the mop, and they took turns cleaning the floor while sharing childish banter.

Seongsik, his assistant manager and best friend, watched them fondly from the counter as he wiped down the last of the glass and cutlery. “Be careful not to slip,” he called out as Yuku tried to run away from the ginger’s tickling hands.

“Stop it, hyung,” the blonde boy giggled, swatting away the café owner’s wriggling fingers while he tried to concentrate on mopping the exact same spot without being tickled. “You seem super happy today, hyung. Did something happen?”

The young man with faded orange hair laughed, “Nah, nothing special. Today just seemed like a good day.”

“It’s because a cute fanboy came by our café, Yuku,” Seongsik chimed in, his voice teasing and playful. “That’s why our Gwanghyun is happy.”

Yuku’s eyes widened and he looked back at Gwanghyun, the café owner, who had gone silent as he stared Seongsik down. His lips turned into a pout as he crossed his arms, trying to assert control over this conversation. He knew he was failing, miserably, as Yuku was smiling from ear to ear now.

“Was it the one that kept staring at you when he came in?” Yuku asked, and with each word, his voice became increasingly excited. “He was funny!”

Gwanghyun chuckled, trying to remain calm and collected, “Yeah, but I don’t blame him. This was his first time. Lots of my other subscribers reacted the same way he did when they first came here.”

“Uh-huh, and those subscribers were…?” the dark blonde man from the counter was raising his eyebrow with a playful smirk on his lips. He’d known Gwanghyun since middle school, and he knew exactly when and how to push the boy’s buttons. It was slowly working, as Gwanghyun was now staring daggers at him from across the café.

The man mumbled something, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his apron. He hated how Seongsik knew when to mess with him. He could feel the ghostly tint of a blush forming on his cheeks, and hoped that the dim lights in the café and the darkening evening sky would mask it.

“Did you say something, hyung?” Yuku asked as he peered into Gwanghyun’s face. This only made the elder increasingly more flustered.

“I-I said ‘those subscribers’ were girls…” Gwanghyun admitted defeat. “Only my female subscribers reacted the same way _he_ did just now.”

Seongsik beamed from across the room, satisfied with Gwanghyun’s answer. “You see Yuku, his male subscribers weren’t shy when it came to talking to our famous ‘ **G** **KAFÉ** ’. But that boy? He couldn’t even open his mouth!” Seongsik laughed at the memory. “He was _whipped_ for you, Hyunnie.”

Gwanghyun frowned, “Hey, why were you even spying on me, anyway? You slacking off at work?”

Seongsik held up his hands defensively, but his face was nowhere near sorry. “I was refilling the pastries when they came in, so I had quite a view on what was happening. But wow, I gotta say, you were head over heels yourself.”

“What do you mean?” Gwanghyun narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going. Deep down, he already knew the answer, and he couldn’t stop or hide the red that spread across his face at Seongsik’s answer.

“Inviting them to your workshop, of course. I thought I recalled you saying registrations were closed?”

Gwanghyun did not comment. He had his lips pursed as he turned away from his friends and busied himself with re-arranging the tiny plants and props near the windowsill. His cheeks were burning red, he could feel it. He couldn’t recall why he decided to invite them to his workshop. The third floor of the café could only hold around 7 people including himself, but his body reacted on its own. His mouth moved without his permission. Deep down, as he saw the boy leaving with his friends, he had wanted to stall them, to talk with them (him) more. But all he could offer were the flyers.

But that boy’s eyes lit up as he took the piece of paper. His eyes never tearing away from the glossy print with an expression likened to that of a young child receiving their favourite toy. Gwanghyun felt a little flick in his heart right then— the wide smile the boy wore as they bowed one last time before departing left Gwanghyun feeling lost and in some ways, completely smitten.

He cleared his throat as he mindlessly arranged the potted succulent for the nth time. “So what? I just thought having a few guys join in the session was a good idea. Also, a couple of the participants wrote ‘tentative’ on their forms. They could just fill in that space. I don’t see a problem with that.”

Seongsik hummed at the response, clearly not believing the young café owner in the slightest. However, he did not continue to press on the topic. The sharp, petulant tone in Gwanghyun’s voice meant he was done with the conversation.

As Seongsik continued to arrange the glassware in the cabinets for the night and Yuku finishing up his duties, Gwanghyun stopped fiddling with the props on the windowsill and stared out at the twilight sky that stretched across the city. The auburn sky transformed into a deep dark purple, signalling the arrival of night. He looked to be deep in thought.

However, upon closer inspection and in a better lighting, one could see that the blush on Gwanghyun’s cheeks never left him. It took a while for him to calm down. And when he did, it was already time to lock up.

\---

_Itaewon Station… Itaewon Station_.

The intercom chimed, announcing the train’s arrival onto the next platform. Heechan checked the destination on his Waze and began his journey towards _Dark Ice Café_ for the drip coffee workshop. He had initially registered the three of them for the session through an online form, but Changmin suddenly had a last minute errand to run for the student council and said he would not be able to make it in time. Dongil, on the other hand, had a different agenda.

Heechan had been texting them in their Kakao group chat the whole train ride to follow up on Dongil’s whereabouts. The elder had said he needed to see his professor that morning, and even after telling Heechan to go on ahead, it left the latter with a dreaded feeling in the pits of his stomach.

**[gang’s all here]**

_**Jang_d0ngil:** hey, I have a great idea._

_your ideas are never great, hyung…_

_**Jang_d0ngil:** now now, don’t be like that_

_**Changminnnnn:** Sorry guys I gotta run_

_**Changminnnnn:** Have fun at the workshop! ^^_

_ah, hyung, don’t leave me alone with this guy… ㅠㅠ_

_dongil, you better not flake on me or i swear_

_im gonna kill you_

_**Jang_d0ngil:** ;)))))_

_HYUNG PLEASE I CANT GO ALONE_

_**Jang_d0ngil:** no promises ;)_

_**Jang_d0ngil:** Im still in consultation tho… ;)_

_PICS OR YOU’RE LYING, U ASSHOLE_

But Dongil had only left Heechan on _Read_ , much to his annoyance. He had already foreseen this happening as Dongil would not stop teasing him ever since they visited the café a week ago. Every single night before Heechan went to bed, Dongil would poke his head into his room and make a cheesy comment regarding his nightly routine of watching **G** **KAFÉ** ’s videos to fall asleep to. Although it made Heechan flustered to the point where he felt his head might implode, it quickly became a nuisance.

He would just block Dongil out whenever the elder made to poke fun at him or act out a cringey romance skit. It became apparent to him that Dongil was rooting for him to shoot his shot with the YouTuber, but Heechan couldn’t for the life of him muster up enough courage to ask the café owner out.

 _It would be weird_ , he had thought to himself. They had only met once, and Heechan never introduced himself let alone speak coherently during that fateful day (he hated himself for that).

His goal for today was to just be a participant in **G** **KAFÉ** ’s workshop. Nothing more. Besides, he doubted that the young café owner would reciprocate his feelings. Heechan was, after all, just one of his nameless subscribers.

 _Don’t YouTubers have a strict rule about dating their subscribers? Probably._ Heechan made a mental note of that as he ascended the familiar slope. Spring was beautiful this year. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and covered the side of the streets in its soft pink blanket. He breathed in the crisp air as he neared his destination.

Just like the first time, he stared up at the double storey building— lost in thought or hesitant to step inside, he could not discern. As Heechan gazed at the wide windows of the café, he noticed the curtains that obscured the third floor of the building before was pulled aside. There were people up there.

“Is that where the workshop is?” he wondered aloud as he walked towards the staircase and sure enough, as he reached the second floor, the café doors were locked and there was a signage that directed all workshop participants to the third floor.

From there, Heechan could already hear soft murmurs of conversation coming from the upper floor. He smoothed down his shirt and ascended the other flight of stairs. The sight that greeted him when he pushed open the glass door of the small studio made him wish he stayed at home.

The workshop venue, which was no more than a tiny studio, was filled with female participants. There were 5 girls in the room; they halted mid-conversation to stare expectantly at the newcomer. Before Heechan could utter an embarrassed apology, for fear he had the day and place wrong (even though he just saw the workshop sign on the café doors mere moments ago), a voice greeted him from behind. It took everything in the boy to not yelp in shock.

“Oh! There you are, we’ve been waiting for you.” It was **G** **KAFÉ** himself. Heechan hadn’t heard him come up the stairs. He was carrying a tray of carafes, drippers and filters; no doubt the tools to use during the workshop.

“I’m really sorry, am I late?” Heechan bowed to the man, pushing open the door to give him way.

“No, not at all,” **G** **KAFÉ** flashed a friendly smile as he set the tray onto the marble counter where the female participants were currently seated. “Where are your friends?”

“Ah… that,” Heechan laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s just me today. They couldn’t make it.” He placed his bag on the only empty chair in the room and stood awkwardly at the side of the counter, unsure of what to do next.

“I see.” An expression of relief flashed across **G** **KAFÉ** ‘s face, but it was too quick to detect. “Well, we’re happy to have you…er?”

His heart skipped a beat. “H-Heechan. Yang Heechan.”

“Right, so seeing as you’re the only other man here, I appoint you as my assistant for today’s workshop,” **G** **KAFÉ** said, eliciting a few good-natured laughter from the girls. The materials for concocting drip coffee were already distributed for each participant.

“B-but I don’t know anything about making coffee,” Heechan blurted out, completely caught off guard at man’s proposition.

“Well, that’s why you’re here, aren’t you? Don’t worry too much, I’ll walk us all through it,” the man nodded and smiled to everyone in the room.

“Anyways, let us start. Welcome to **G** **KAFÉ** ‘s ‘Drip Coffee Steps’ workshop. Thank you so much for being here. I’m Gwanghyun and I will be your teacher today.”

Heechan tried not to let his face show it, but he felt extremely happy to know **G** **KAFÉ** ‘s real name at last. He kept repeating it internally, feeling his tongue rolling at each syllable. _Gwanghyun_. It felt good to say it. It felt _right_.

The workshop proceeded with Heechan showing everyone how to place the filter into the dipper, and adding the ground coffee into the filter to brew, all the while being guided by Gwanghyun’s clear instructions. The elder walked around the counter, lending a hand to the participants who had their filters crooked or had poured their coffee grounds a bit too excessively. And whenever he passed behind Heechan, the younger would tense up, afraid to breathe. When it was time to brew the coffee, he hadn’t realize that Gwanghyun was peering from his shoulder, his face was mere centimetres from his own.

Heechan flinched, surprised at the close proximity. The kettle that he had in his hand moved as he recoiled, sloshing hot water onto the counter top. “Ah! I’m so sorry,” he apologized as he righted the kettle.

“Hey, hey, we’re all supposed to concentrate during this brewing process. I said so just now, right?” Gwanghyun tutted, disapproving of Heechan messing up the timing of the brew. It caused a ripple effect as some of the other participants abruptly stopped as well.

“S-sorry. You just startled me…” Heechan felt his cheeks reddening at the thought of how close their faces were. He was sure Gwanghyun just wanted to check how his brewing was going. But his body had reacted on its own.

Gwanghyun smiled. This smile was different. It was that of mischief. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you don’t mess up the timing.”

Heechan, challenged by the smirk, fought back, “I was doing just fine. You ruined my concentration, that’s all,” he said indignantly.

The café owner laughed, eliciting a few chuckles from the female participants, obviously tickled by how Gwanghyun joked around. This put everyone at ease.

As instructed, Heechan started pouring on the outer rim and moving at a steady pace to spiral towards the center of the grounds, and continuing in the opposite direction outwards. This went on for a total of four pours with 30-second intervals to allow the rich coffee to drip into the carafe. All the while, Gwanghyun made his rounds, stopping by each participant to check on their technique. He corrected some of them and they blushed whenever he came close to them.

The man would do the same to Heechan too, much to the boy’s chagrin. Sometimes speaking out of the blue and startling Heechan. But by then, the environment of the workshop had changed from that of awkward first meeting to a comfortable atmosphere. Everyone was having fun.

In the midst of it all, Heechan felt a sense of tranquillity as he swirled the boiling water, watching the coffee grounds bloom into a beautiful blossoming effect. Just as how he felt while listening to Gwanghyun speak in his videos, he felt a wave of calmness as the elder was telling them about the special taste drip coffee had, and that making it with your own hands further enhanced the taste.

The group completed the fourth and final pour. Once the last drop of filtered coffee dripped into the carafe, Gwanghyun directed his participants to slowly pour their coffee into the glass he had prepared before excusing himself.

In Gwanghyun’s short absence, Heechan tried socializing with the girls and they were easy to open up to him, accepting him into their circle. They were all just like him; **G** **KAFÉ** ‘s subscribers who wanted a chance to spend the day with the YouTuber. One of the girls, who was a student at a nearby university, was the one who proposed to **G** **KAFÉ** to host workshops. Heechan thanked her internally. If she hadn’t given the idea, and if Gwanghyun hadn’t agreed to it, Heechan wouldn’t be able to spend time with his favourite person.

He no longer felt the need to cower in embarrassment (although, his heart does skip a few beats) when he looked at Gwanghyun in the eye. The YouTuber turned out to have an easy yet teasing personality, always looking for a chance to crack jokes. It was nice. It felt _right_.

Gwanghyun came back up with a tray of freshly baked bread. “As thanks and a congratulatory gesture, please help yourselves to the coffee you made with your own hard work and our delicious vanilla bread.”

Heechan and the girls thanked the café owner and grabbed a serving of the warm, sweet bread. The coffee they brewed tasted just as delicious; the flavour rich and whole. The group ate and chatted until it was late into the evening, when the sun was starting to set into the horizon. One by one, the participants took their leave while thanking Gwanghyun again for hosting the workshop, telling him they would join another session if there ever was a chance. The café owner laughed and said he’d think about it.

As they all left, Heechan offered to stay to lend a helping hand in cleaning up. While he washed the glass and plates in the small kitchenette, Heechan began to realize why this space looked so familiar. Besides the sink, there was a small espresso machine and a mini fridge. He recognized the machine as the same one that would be used whenever **G** **KAFÉ** had his after-hours YouTube live videos. He suddenly felt a sense of pride in being welcomed into this otherwise private space— a space he would only have been able to see through a screen.

“Thank you for cleaning up,” Gwanghyun piped up. He had been wiping down the counter top and re-arranging the chairs into the corner of the room. “You didn’t have to, though.”

“It’s alright. I am your assistant, aren’t I?”

Gwanghyun laughed at this, “Yeah, only during the workshop.”

Heechan hoped that by having his back against the ginger-haired man, he could hide the blush that was steadily growing on his cheeks. He knew staying to help was just an excuse to spend more time with Gwanghyun. It was a bold move on his part; hell, he was surprised Gwanghyun even agreed to let him help.

“H-hey, how long have you been working in this café, anyways?” Heechan, not wanting to prolong the silence, changed the subject.

Gwanghyun hummed, his back resting against the side of the counter. “Ever since I graduated high school. My mother ran the shop for a couple of years before entrusting it to me.”

“Wow, that was a pretty early start,” Heechan mused. He had thought Gwanghyun would have been a university graduate before opening his first café.

“Yeah. It was either this or becoming an underground DJ or something,” Gwanghyun burst out laughing at the thought of one of his silly childhood dreams.

The both of them continued talking until Heechan was done putting the dishes and glass away, and even more after that, until dusk found them in a dimly lit studio in the middle of Itaewon-dong. They talked about a lot of things, but never dipping into personal questions.

It was when Heechan asked how Gwanghyun knew the difference in coffee flavouring profiles; how he knew which brewing technique would create a stronger flavour, or which beans tasted nutty or fruity that Gwanghyun’s eyes lit up. His orbs twinkled and his mouth moved at the speed of a bullet train as he explained. Heechan, who had seated himself comfortably on the countertop (Gwanghyun had allowed it) couldn’t help but smile at the passionate man beside him. He found that whenever the café owner spoke, his lips would always turn into a pout and that further brought out the roundness of his cheeks.

 _Cute_ , he thought, the butterflies in his stomach bloomed the more Gwanghyun spoke; his hands gesturing in motions, animated. Heechan didn’t know how he never noticed it during the workshop. He must have been too busy concentrating on not making a fool out of himself and doing the steps properly so he wouldn’t disappoint Gwanghyun.

“There are also these types called ‘shots’, where the caffeine is so strong you’ll feel yourself shaking after drinking it,” Gwanghyun was saying, “There’s _Ristretto_ and _Doppio_. They’re highly concentrated expresso and are essentially served in a small glass with just a small amount of water.”

Heechan grimaced at the thought of the coffee’s taste, “Yikes, I don’t think I’d be able to stomach that.”

“Ah, it’s not that bad. I can show you how to do it now and you can taste for yourself.” Heechan couldn’t even come up with a retort. Gwanghyun had already begun preparing the espresso machine, busying himself with the selected coffee beans.

It wasn’t long until the espresso finished its pressurized brewing, the small space already heating up from the steam the machine let out. Heechan watched on in awe. It was different than in the videos— he couldn’t take his eyes off Gwanghyun’s nimble hands as it worked the machine while simultaneously preparing other things. He watched as the café owner took out shot glasses and added just a dash of hot water before extracting the concentrated espresso into each glass.

“There! It’s done. One _Ristretto_ for you, sir,” Gwanghyun did a little bow towards Heechan, making the younger snort in amusement. Heechan took the glass, careful not to drop it as it was still hot.

He stared into the inky depths apprehensively, his nose wrinkled at the sheer strength of the aroma. “Are you sure this is safe? I’ve never drank something like this before.”

“Well, there’s always a first try right?” Gwanghyun said, lifting his shot glass towards Heechan. He tilted his head and smirked. Heechan gulped.

 _He’s such a tease_ , he thought as he slowly raised his glass as well. The edge of their glass tinkled against one another and Heechan blew into the drink to cool it down, not wanting to burn his throat. When he deemed it warm enough, he took a cautionary sip. The taste was like a slap to the face, but not unpleasant. As it dissolved in his mouth, his tongue craved the strong and bitter flavour even more.

Before he knew it, Heechan had drank his _Ristretto_ in one gulp. He set his glass aside on the counter, smacking his lips and trying to ignore how acidic the aftertaste was. His stomach soon felt warm.

“There, see? That wasn’t so bad,” Gwanghyun voiced out from beside him. The elder took Heechan’s shot glass and his and went to place them in the sink. Those can be washed later.

Heechan hummed in response as he swung his legs slightly from his place on the counter. It had certainly felt fine when he ingested it mere moments ago. But slowly, a gradual pounding in this head began. It didn’t hurt, but it was insistent; it filled his head with a dense cloud that rendered him unable to think clearly.

As the two of them continued talking (Heechan wasn’t sure what topic they were on, he just trusted his mouth to move when spoken to), the beating of his heart began to pick up speed. It drummed against his chest and he could feel his whole torso filled with the same exact feeling as his head. As if his chest was stuffed to the brim with cotton.

And as the evening progressed into night, things started to stray from the path. Heechan, who had not been keeping close attention to their conversation, suddenly blurted out in a tiny voice, “I really love your videos, you know. They’re the reason I can sleep at night.”

Gwanghyun, who had been telling the younger about embarrassing customer stories, stopped mid-sentence and peered into Heechan’s face. “What?”

“I-I’ve been having trouble sleeping ever since I started my 3rd year,” Heechan didn’t dare look at the elder’s face, even though they were right next to each other. He hoped his long hair could mask the burning red that was present across his face. “Your videos really helped me a lot. Th-That’s how I became a fan.”

Heechan swung his legs, his whole body trembling as the caffeine invaded his system, taking control of his mind and speech. He heard Gwanghyun hum, his deep baritone voice sending shivers down Heechan’s spine.

“Is it because of the music?” the elder asked. There was a tint of mischief in his voice, as if what Heechan said gave him a boost of ego. “I hear some of my subscribers like the songs I put in.”

Heechan shook his head, the motion making him more delirious, “N-no it’s not the music… It’s— it’s your voice.”

If Heechan didn’t feel like a densely packed cloud, unable to control the way his mind was slowly careening into the point of no return, he wouldn’t have admitted that. The heat of his embarrassment travelled from his neck and onto his entire face. He knew he was red without even having to look at his reflection.

Gwanghyun went silent as he stared at the boy sitting on his countertop. This boy who just so happened to walk into his café one fateful day and caught Gwanghyun’s eye. The café owner felt his heart beating at an accelerated pace; from the coffee or Heechan’s confession, he was not sure.

“So, which one do you like best?”

“Wh-what?”

“Do you like the real deal, or from your screen?” Gwanghyun shrugged, pretending that the caffeine wasn’t affecting him when it fact, he knew he was slowly starting to become feverish himself. His whole body felt like it was humming a low tune, vibrating throughout his system.

Heechan blushed, but he couldn’t stop himself from telling the truth. “The real deal, of course,” he said, his voice soft but Gwanghyun heard him. The elder nodded, satisfied with the answer.

Neither spoke for what felt like hours (it was only a few seconds) until Heechan did something he never in a million years would have thought he would do. He turned his head slightly to look at Gwanghyun’s side profile. In the warm lighting of the studio, the latter looked breath taking as he stared into space (anywhere but Heechan). Heechan licked his lips and swallowed, his whole body jittery.

“Hey, can I kiss you?” he asked.

Gwanghyun visibly tensed at the request, but he did not say anything as he continued to stare at the espresso machine, as if there was a spot there that irritated or fascinated him. Heechan was still gazing at him, but moments later, the boy seemed to realize the weight of his words. He looked away.

Before Heechan could utter an apology for saying something so inappropriate, Gwanghyun closed the distance between them and placed his hands flat on the cool surface of the counter, bracketing the younger on either side. He looked up towards an abashed boy with adorable red tinted cheeks.

“Well, the real deal’s here. What are you waiting for?” he said, his voice in a much lower register than he had intended. It was filled with raw _want_.

This was all the push needed for Heechan to lift his trembling hands to cup Gwanghyun’s face, his fingers brush against the growing hair on the nape of the older boy’s neck. He let out a shaky, delirious exhale, his eyelids fluttering shut as he kissed Gwanghyun softly, tenderly, _slowly_. His heart was now hammering against his ribcage and his blood was pounding in his ears but he didn’t want to stop.

As Heechan nibbled on Gwanghyun’s bottom lip, ready to pull away to gauge the elder’s reaction, the latter brought a hand up behind Heechan’s head and pulled him back in— lips now locked in perfect sync, their breathes in tandem with one another. Heechan groaned into their kiss as he tasted Gwanghyun’s sweet, caffeine scent.

The ginger let his hands wander onto Heechan’s hips, lifting the latter’s plaid shirt so he could touch the warm skin underneath. His hands rested on the younger’s hipbones, massaging the dips of the pelvic arch and eliciting a sigh from the boy. Heechan, with his fingers tangled in Gwanghyun’s pale orange locks, pulled every time he wanted access into the other’s mouth, wanting their tongues to taste each other, to remember each other.

Neither stopped to breathe, too intoxicated by each other’s bodily warmth and scent. Gwanghyun’s hands moved from Heechan’s hips to rub circles into the small of his back, feeling the electrifying touch of warm skin on skin. Heechan shuddered as Gwanghyun pulled him closer and spread his legs a little to accommodate the elder’s frame. At such close proximity, he could feel the thudding of Gwanghyun’s heart against his thighs. The space was filled with their contented sighs and the sound of lips interlocking with one another's.

After a while, Heechan pulled away, breathless. They stared at each other, feeling lost and dazed and breathing heavily. But before Gwanghyun could say anything, maybe to alleviate the situation they got themselves into, Heechan groaned as his temples started to pound.

“I… I feel like I’m gonna throw up…”

It took Gwanghyun a couple of seconds to come down from his high before fetching a glass of cool water for Heechan. The boy drank everything and things started to clear up little by little. He put a hand to his chest and felt the drumming of his heart; loud as it reverberated across his entire body.

“You okay?” Gwanghyun brushed away the boy’s fringe, his plump lips tinted a dark red from their session a while ago. Heechan wanted to kiss them again, but his head hurt and he felt nauseous.

“I just need to lie down…” Heechan started to step down from the counter, but as soon as his feet touched the floor, his knees gave way. “Ah, shit.”

Gwanghyun quickly caught the boy, “Here, let me help.”

With one arm around his shoulders and another supporting Heechan’s back, Gwanghyun guided the boy towards a closed section of the studio. Behind the draped curtains was a day bed, in which Gwanghyun let Heechan down on. “You can sleep here for the night. You’re too drunk on coffee to be able to walk yourself back to your campus.”

Heechan hummed in response; that was all he could do. His temples still throbbed but by lying down, it eased the pain, even just a little. As Gwanghyun stood up to leave, Heechan quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Stay, please,” Heechan pleaded hoarsely. “Just- just talk to me.”

Gwanghyun hesitated at first, but an expression flashed across his features that was too quick for Heechan to detect. The elder kneeled down beside the bed, facing him. “What do you want me to talk about?”

“Anything,” Heechan heard himself say, “Your voice is what helps me sleep…”

And as Gwanghyun heaved a sigh, thumb rubbing smooth circles around Heechan’s hand that was still holding onto his, he started to speak. He was saying something, but it was a blur to the boy, whose entire bodily system was slowly shutting down and ultimately calming down from the high.

The last thing Heechan remembered was the feeling of safety, of home and of Gwanghyun’s scent, and that everything was finally right in the world. He slept soundly.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Youtuber!GK was inspired by [LATTE PAPPA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabdatPVZIBNH2QSWxzbvow)  
> \- i hope yall didnt get too bored with this its pretty long orz;;;  
> \- follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ultyuku) i scream a lot about DKB there


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